Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews are exempt from compulsory military service. Israel's Supreme Court recently ruled the current exemption system illegal, and the government is scrambling to come up with an alternative by July 31.

The country's secular majority considers the exemptions unjust, while the ultra-Orthodox claim they are serving the state by serving God.

The issue is one of the most controversial in Israel, and has caused a rift in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government.